Nicolas Bochatay, 27, a Swiss speed skier, was killed Saturday in a non-competition accident at Les Arcs. Bochatay apparently was skiing downhill, either in an informal warm-up session or while on his way to the competition area, when he hit a snow-grooming machine heading uphill, the Olympic organizing committee said. Hugo Steinegger, a spokesman for the organizers, said that Bochatay and teammate Pierre-Yves Jorand had been skiing on a public slope adjacent to the speed ski run.

Canada had planned to win two gold medals in the first Olympic curling tournament, but came away Sunday with only one. The United States, true to form, left empty-handed. Between them, the Canadian men and women have won eight of the past 10 world curling champions. While the Canadian women beat surprise finalist Denmark, 7-5, the men were stunned in the gold-medal game, 9-3, by Switzerland, a team the Canadians had beaten earlier, 8-3.

Where have you gone, Pirmin Zurbriggen? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. . . . That would be Switzerland, which, going into the last of the 10 Alpine skiing events in the 16th Winter Olympics, has been able to yodel up only one medal, and a bronze at that. It's quite a comedown for a proud little country that as recently as the 1987 World Alpine Ski Championships won eight of the 10 available gold medals and 14 medals overall.

A Swedish Elite League hockey player died after his throat was slashed by a teammate's skate during a weekend game, officials said Monday. Bengt Akerblom, 28, of the Mora team died during surgery in a hospital in Mora. Akerblom was skating behind a teammate when an opposing player checked the teammate and sent him tumbling in midair. The teammate's legs went up and one skate hit Akerblom's throat, cutting a main artery.

World sprint champion Katrin Krabbe has been dropped from Europe's richest track event, the Aug. 19 Weltklasse meet at Zurich, Switzerland, because of the doping probe involving her and two German teammates. A meet official said a November invitation to Krabbe and sprinters Grit Breuer and Silke Moeller, who were also caught up in the incident, has been revoked.

Considering the United States' impoverished status in international soccer, the host team's challenge in the 1994 World Cup would not have been easy no matter which teams it was assigned to play. But U.S. players, coaches and officials all hoped it would be better than this. "If somebody fixed this for us, I'd like to meet him," U.S.

Center Stephan Lebeau, the Mighty Ducks' third-leading scorer last season, has left the team to play in Switzerland, signing a free-agent contract with Lugano. Lebeau, whose younger brother Patrick also plays in the Swiss league, had eight goals and 16 assists in 37 games for the Ducks this season, two years after scoring a career-high 80 points for the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

The Mighty Ducks have lost center Stephan Lebeau, their third-leading scorer this season, because he signed a free-agent contract to play in Switzerland. "It's something Stephan wanted to do and has wanted to do for quite some time," said his agent, Don Meehan. "Generally speaking, he has had it in the back of his mind that he wanted to play in Europe for personal reasons." Lebeau, whose younger brother Patrick also plays in the Swiss league, signed a two-year deal with Lugano.

What Hex? What Hagi? What heat? Wednesday afternoon, Switzerland overcame all obstacles as it blew Romania's cover and the lid off the Silverdome, scoring three second-half goals en route to a 4-1 victory before 61,428. The win sent angst-ridden Swiss fans screaming into the streets of Pontiac and Zurich, this time not having to wave their red flags in surrender.

Was it a point won or two points lost? In holding Switzerland to a 1-1 tie at the Silverdome on Saturday, the United States accomplished something it had not done since 1950--it earned its first World Cup point. But the Swiss were supposed to be the team the Americans could beat, especially in the sauna-like atmosphere of the Silverdome, described by Switzerland Coach Roy Hodgson, as "like playing in a hot dog stand." A victory would have given the U.S.

The last time Eric Wynalda played in the United States' opening game of a World Cup, in 1990 against Czechoslovakia, he was sent off the field early with a red card and a red face. His coach and most of his teammates were so angry they would barely speak to him, and he was wondering if his debut as an international player was also his farewell. It wasn't.

Considering the United States' impoverished status in international soccer, the host team's challenge in the 1994 World Cup would not have been easy no matter which teams it was assigned to play. But U.S. players, coaches and officials all hoped it would be better than this. "If somebody fixed this for us, I'd like to meet him," U.S.

Canada had planned to win two gold medals in the first Olympic curling tournament, but came away Sunday with only one. The United States, true to form, left empty-handed. Between them, the Canadian men and women have won eight of the past 10 world curling champions. While the Canadian women beat surprise finalist Denmark, 7-5, the men were stunned in the gold-medal game, 9-3, by Switzerland, a team the Canadians had beaten earlier, 8-3.

What Hex? What Hagi? What heat? Wednesday afternoon, Switzerland overcame all obstacles as it blew Romania's cover and the lid off the Silverdome, scoring three second-half goals en route to a 4-1 victory before 61,428. The win sent angst-ridden Swiss fans screaming into the streets of Pontiac and Zurich, this time not having to wave their red flags in surrender.

World sprint champion Katrin Krabbe has been dropped from Europe's richest track event, the Aug. 19 Weltklasse meet at Zurich, Switzerland, because of the doping probe involving her and two German teammates. A meet official said a November invitation to Krabbe and sprinters Grit Breuer and Silke Moeller, who were also caught up in the incident, has been revoked.

The Swiss men's team edged Norway, 7-6, to take the gold medal in curling, an Olympic demonstration event. It was the first defeat for the Norwegian men in the week-long competition. Norwegian women also lost in a gold-medal match, 9-2, to Germany. In the consolation round, the United States men took the bronze medal, beating Canada, 9-2, and the Canadian women finished third with a 9-3 victory over Denmark.